GrowingWalnut production takes commitment and patience, and orchards are dedicated only to walnut productions. After a walnut sapling is planted, it takes five to seven years for it to grow into an adult tree suitable for harvesting.

HarvestingCalifornia walnuts are harvested late August through November when the drying green hulls start to split, allowing the inshell walnuts to be removed. First, the orchard floor is swept clean. Mechanical shakers vigorously shake each tree, and thousands of walnuts fall to the ground. The walnuts are then carefully swept into windrows to allow mechanical harvesters pick them up for cleaning.

ProcessingThe outer green husk is removed by a Huller, and the nut is mechanically dehydrated (air dried) to optimum 8% moisture level. This prevents deterioration of the nut, and protects its quality during storage. California walnuts are protected from contamination because of the nut's double envelope of hull and shell while on the tree.

Following drying, sizing of the inshell nut occurs. Inshell walnuts are sized as Jumbo, Large, Medium or Baby according to USDA standards.

Quality Control Standards
California walnuts are produced under stringent quality controls that exceed California inspection standards, reputed to be the world's toughest. We also meet individual customers' standards and expectations. We utilize cutting-edge technologies during the process in a sustained effort to bring consumers, walnuts of uncompromising quality.

The walnuts are grown and processed under the strict regulation of the California Walnut Board, USDA/DFA and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A food safety control program and quality control regime (HACCP) is in place that meets the standards imposed by all regulatory authorities.

Walnut History
Walnuts are the oldest tree food known to man, dating back to 7,000BC. The outer shell provides a natural protective layer helping to maintain the quality of the nut. The walnut was first cultivated in California by the Franciscan Fathers in the late 1700s, with first commercial plantings in southern California in 1867. Some 70 years after teh first planting, the center of California walnut production moved northward to the Central Valley area in one of the most dramatic horticultural moves in history. Better growing areas, improved irrigation, and better pest control methods in the north resulted in greater yields, which gradually increased each year. Today, the Central Valley of California is the state's prime walnut growing region. Its mild climate and deep fertile soils provide ideal growing conditions for the California walnut. California walnuts account for 99 percent of the commercial US supply and two-thirds of world trade.

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